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Friday, March 18, 2016

A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole Blog Tour

One kiss lasts a moment.
But a thousand kisses can last a lifetime.

One boy.
One girl.
A bond that is forged in an instant and cherished for a decade.
A bond that neither time nor distance can break.
A bond that will last forever.
Or so they believe.
When seventeen-year-old Rune Kristiansen returns from his native Norway to the
sleepy town of Blossom Grove, Georgia, where he befriended Poppy Litchfield as
a child, he has just one thing on his mind. Why did the girl who was one half
of his soul, who promised to wait faithfully for his return, cut him off
without a word of explanation?
Rune’s heart was broken two years ago when Poppy fell silent. When he discovers
the truth, he finds that the greatest heartache is yet to come.

Angela – ☆☆☆☆☆
I am pleased to report that Kleenex® Cool Touch Facial Tissues are worth every
penny. I have used ten tissues over the course of reading A Thousand Boy Kisses – which is 20% of the box – and while my eyes
are puffy from crying a thousand girl tears, my nose is not rubbed raw.
Seriously, Cole should contact Kleenex® for an endorsement deal, especially as
I know this is a book I will read again and use just as many tissues the second
time around. That’s just how moving the story is. At the very least, the author
should buy stock in tissues because if she writes another book like this, sales
will increase exponentially. Because Cole delivered on her promise of a Young
Adult Tearjerker Romance with A Thousand
Boy Kisses.

This is a story as old as time. Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl.
Boy vows to give girl the happily ever after she deserves. As you read the
story, it’s clear that very few are as deserving of a happily ever after as
Poppy Litchfield. While their happily ever after didn’t last as long as they
hoped for, Rune Kristiansen gave Poppy all of his love and a thousand very
special boy kisses – “as special as
special can be” – and it all began with a handshake between two five-year-old
children who decided to be best friends on the day they met. I mean, what
little girl wouldn’t want her very own Viking? And my tears made their first
appearance in chapter one, when Poppy’s mawmaw, as a final goodbye, gives her
an adventure to collect a thousand boy kisses – but only the most special of
kisses – to remind her that she was loved. Poppy may have only been eight at
the time, but she understood that her grandmother was telling her goodbye and
the importance of the task given to her. But my tears were soon swept away by a
huge grin as Rune vowed to give Poppy her thousand boy kisses because, after
all, she was his Poppy. When the story then jumps ahead seven years, we find
that our 15-year-old duo is still attached at the hip and that Rune is as
devoted to giving Poppy her thousand boy kisses as the day he made the vow,
much to the dismay of the female student body. But don’t get too comfortable
folks because Cole promised a tear jerker and she delivers on that promise time
and time and time again, beginning with Rune’s father being sent back to Oslo
for work for at least two to three years, and the young couple finds that time
and other circumstances keep them from staying in touch. When the Kristiansen’s
time in Oslo is up, the Rune that returns to Georgia is not the same boy that
Poppy loved and she blames herself for it. And thus begins the second half of
the young couple’s journey.

This is where the review gets sticky folks because I need to communicate a bit
of a warning without revealing any spoilers. I had my suspicions about why
Poppy cut Rune out of her life and I was so very wrong about them – but boy do
I wish I’d been right because the truth is much harder to deal with. So hard,
in fact, that it took me two days to read the book because I had to take a
break from the emotional turmoil it put me through. With that said, while it is
accurate to categorize A Thousand Boy
Kisses as a young adult romance, I would recommend it for older and mature
teens because of the subject matter. This is a sweet romance, so parents do not
need to be concerned about anything sexual. Rather, A Thousand Boy Kisses deals with mortality at all ages. However,
the emphasis of the book is on living life to the fullest, no matter how long
or short it is. Making every moment count and being happy with the life you
lead. Through Poppy and Rune’s romance, we experience young love, heartache,
fierce love, heartbreak, happiness, loss, and pure love. I was impressed by
Cole’s writing ability after reading the Hades Hangmen series, but this book
left me in complete and total awe of her talent. A Thousand Boy Kisses has made it to my Top 10 Reads of 2016. Cole
broke my heart and put it back together more than once during this book and I
cannot wait to read more of her writing.

Recommended for ages 14 and up – as long as they are mature enough to deal with
the realities of life and death. I definitely recommend it for adult readers as
well, but only when you’re up for a cathartic read and the puffy eyes that go
with it.

Tillie Cole hails from a small town in the North-East of England. She grew up
on a farm with her English mother, Scottish father and older sister and a
multitude of rescue animals. As soon as she could, Tillie left her rural roots
for the bright lights of the big city.

After graduating from Newcastle University with a BA Hons in Religious Studies,
Tillie followed her Professional Rugby player husband around the world for a
decade, becoming a teacher in between and thoroughly enjoyed teaching High
School students Social Studies before putting pen to paper, and finishing her
first novel.

Tillie has now settled in Austin, Texas, where she is finally able to sit down
and write, throwing herself into fantasy worlds and the fabulous minds of her
characters.

Tillie is both an independent and traditionally published author, and writes
many genres including: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Young Adult and New
Adult novels.

When she is not writing, Tillie enjoys nothing more than curling up on her
couch watching movies, drinking far too much coffee, while convincing herself
that she really doesn’t need that extra square of chocolate.

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